Olympic Eventing xc thread

Lexi_ said:
Ok, let's look on the bright side. Gemma's score wasn't counting anyway...

The Germans might all fall off...

The other French riders apart from Astier tend to terrify me cross-country...
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I hope no one falls off, regardless of nationality! Can't watch anymore!! But I agree with your general idea ;)
 
Poor Tim!!

teapot said:
That's my point - everyone expected Rio to be yet another dressage competition with a 2* xc, and it's proved quite the opposite with the course being a 4* in technicality
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No one I know of expected a 2* xc! Most people say the Olympics is a 3-3.5*, this looks to be more of a 3.5-4*. But I agree that most teams looked for top-level 3* form with good dressage rather than solid 4* xc form.
 
Lissa Green has just put on Twitter that Gemma's been given a third refusal for crossing her tracks and been eliminated.

Nooooooo, poor Tim! Jesus, this is nearly as bad as Badminton a couple of years ago!!
 
I always thought the Olympic XC was supposed to be below 4* because of the weaker nations not being able to safely tackle that level. I agree with Only_me it looked beefy but do-able when the photos went up. Seems crazy to have teams where many of the horses have never run 4* if it was always going to be 4* standard. Obv team GB didn't expect it to be this tough. Poor Gemma she looked frozen at some of the early fences. So pleased to see them get home. Blimey Tim Price has just gone down on the flat! This is horrid.
 
I'm not enjoying this at all. This is not the international showcase we want for our sport. Slo-mo falls might make for dramatic television to the unhorsy but the frequency with which top-class riders and horses are falling is unacceptable and will cause a - justified - outcry.

The argument that it's the Olympics and should be a true 4* test and no other sports 'dumb down' for the Olympics so why should the eventers blah blah blah is all very well, but when custom and practice has meant it has realistically been the equivalent of a 3* for the last three games and countries will have selected their teams accordingly, you can't suddenly change the goalposts. Not to mention that the artificially and overly twist-and-turn nature of the track is the quickest way to sour and disappoint brave horses.

The cynic in me might think this is another attempt to get equestrian events out of the Olympics...
 
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